Bishop Viard College

Education institution number:
256
School type:
Secondary (Year 7-15)
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
417
Website:
http://www.viard.school.nz/
Telephone:
04 237 5248
Address:

20 Kenepuru Drive, Porirua

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Bishop Viard College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within ten months of the Education Review Office and Bishop Viard College working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz

Context

Bishop Viard College is a Catholic, state-integrated, co-educational school located in Porirua. It provides learning for students in years 7 to 13. Learning is guided by the school’s values of faith, fortitude, dignity, and service. Bishop Viard College’s vision is to provide all students with a purposeful education, so they graduate with a meaningful qualification.

Bishop Viard College’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • students and teachers are engaged, and students excel in their learning
  • all students are well prepared for their future.

A copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan can be requested from Bishop Viard College

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well implementation of the explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy is achieving equitable outcomes for learners in years 7 to 10.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • the school has identified the year 7 to 10 students who need acceleration in literacy and numeracy
  • to embed consistent, evidence-based practices for teaching literacy and numeracy across the year 7 to 10 curriculum in order to support and accelerate student progress and achievement.

The school expects to see:

  • teachers intentionally selecting strategies, within agreed school-wide practices, for the explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy to improve student outcomes
  • systematic use of year 7 and 10 assessment data to inform planning and to evaluate the impact of this initiative
  • improved proficiency in literacy and numeracy of year 7 to 10 students, improving equity in outcomes, and accelerated progress for those students identified as needing it.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well implementation of the explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy is achieving equitable outcomes for learners in years 7 to 10.

  • Individual student progress and achievement data is systematically tracked and will be used to identify students needing additional support to make accelerated progress.
  • An effective teacher profile, based on building learning relationships, has been developed.
  • A significant proportion of the staff are proficient in Pacific languages and Te Reo Māori which supports the additional language learning needs of many students by leveraging first their languages.
  • The Board has resourced additional staffing to support the improvement of literacy and numeracy.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • strategic professional learning for teachers of literacy and numeracy strategies, including digital technologies and platforms, to support the development of agreed school-wide practices
  • systematic use of year 7 and 10 assessment data to inform planning and to evaluate the impact of this initiative.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
13 March 2024 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Bishop Viard College

Education Review Report
Bishop Viard College

This review is designed to support schools that were experiencing difficulties at the time of the last review. ERO provides ongoing evaluation over the course of one-to-two years as the school works to improve its overall performance and build its self-review capability.

This report answers key questions about the school’s background and the context for the review. The report also provides an evaluation of how effectively the school is addressing areas identified for review and development and the quality of its practices and systems for sustaining performance and ongoing improvement.

Findings

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Bishop Viard College in Porirua, is a state integrated coeducational Catholic school for Years 7 to 13 students in Porirua. The school roll has high numbers of students of Pacific heritage, including Samoan and other Pacific nations. There are 42 Māori students. Since 2019, the roll has steadily grown to 308 after a period of decline.

The March 2018 ERO report identified ongoing concerns about professional leadership, effective teaching practices, use of student achievement data to promote progress and achievement and schoolwide evaluation capabilities.

The Ministry of Education appointed a Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) to work with the board to address issues around professional leadership, curriculum and key aspects of board operation. A Principal Recruitment Allowance (PRA) was accessed to employ a new principal from Term 4, 2019. A new LSM was appointed to work alongside the board and new principal until Term 2, 2021.

The boards of trustees and proprietors are highly representative of the college’s parents, aiga and wider community. Board members continue to seek New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA) support to build sustainable stewardship practices.

A new deputy principal with responsibility for curriculum began in Term 1, 2020. A substantial number of new curriculum leaders, teachers and staff have been appointed since 2019.

The school has been working with ERO over time to make sustainable school improvements for students, families, staff and the wider community. The college’s overall performance for its students has improved significantly since 2018, with the formation of an effective school leadership team and a lift in learner outcomes. The Ministry of Education continues to provide support.

The college has recently moved to the Porirua East Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako to better connect with contributing primary schools that most students previously attend.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?
Priorities identified for review and development

ERO identified four priorities necessary for progress and improvement:

  • school culture and student wellbeing
  • student outcomes, including progress and achievement
  • teaching effectiveness and curriculum development
  •  leadership effectiveness, including stewardship.

Progress

School culture and student wellbeing

Significant progress is evident in developing a positive, supportive school culture. Students display a sense of belonging and express pride in their college. Student-led daily assemblies have been a key platform for bringing the school community together and building shared expectations. Students’ achievements, Pacific languages spoken at home, cultures and identities are regularly celebrated.

The college proactively prioritised student wellbeing through COVID-19. Progress is evident through supportive approaches that strengthen student attendance levels. Pastoral systems are increasingly collaborative and reflective. Deans are developing more responsive processes to promote better student engagement in learning and connections with families.

Students’ views and aspiration are increasingly sought and responded to in all facets of school operation. The impact of students’ voice, including those in leadership roles, continues to grow. The Ka Ora, Ka Ako Ministry of Education lunch programme, contributes to positive afternoon engagement in learning.

So’otaga (family support programme) continues to grow and provides meaningful regular opportunities for parents and aiga to support their children’s education.

A growing culture of tuakana-teina where older students provide support for younger students, continues. The Ta’iaia (student-led) tutoring employs university students to supervise and assist students in after school study sessions. Students’ expectations for success continue to increase.

Student outcomes, including progress and achievement

Substantial progress is evident in lifting National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) results since 2019. An increased number of students obtain NCEA qualifications and merit and excellence endorsements. 

Notable progress is evident in 2021, with NCEA Levels 1 and 2 results exceeding the national average and other similar schools. Positive gains at NCEA Level 3 and in university entrance occurred. School leavers data shows that 75% of students leave school with at least NCEA Level 2.

Leaders continue to focus on strategies to improve male and Māori learner outcomes. There is a sustained emphasis on providing pathways that lead to future study or employment opportunities for students.

Years 7 and 8 students made significant gains during 2021, with good numbers making accelerated progress in mathematics and reading comprehension. Years 9 and 10 students experienced good progress with some more variability. Students not yet making the expected progress are better known and strategies put in place. Future planned curriculum developments for Years 7 to 10 will seek to extend successful teaching strategies to enable better learner outcomes.

Senior students experienced significant national and regional success in developing innovative products and the Pacific categories in the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES). This programme has become a strong feature of the senior curriculum.

Teaching effectiveness and curriculum development

The school has made very good progress in strengthening school systems and structures for teaching and learning. Responsive teaching practices in Years 7 and 8 are growing student’s self-management of learning. Systematic monitoring of progress towards NCEA qualifications contributes to better qualification outcomes.

The special education needs coordinator (SENCO) continues to develop school system and practices for students who require targeted supports. A Learning Support Coordinator (LSC) works with the SENCO. Processes for identifying and reporting on the impact of specific approaches are developing.

The overall teaching capacity of the school has lifted since 2020, with further gains expected as teacher professional development gains traction. A professional growth cycle and supporting activities are in place for teachers. A schoolwide focus on relationship-based learning (RbL) professional development continues. A lead team works with others to reflect on relational teaching practices based on observations.

Increased opportunities allow more students to experience success in areas that affirm Pacific nations’ cultures and languages. This includes opportunities to study Samoan language, performing arts, festivals and sports.

Leaders and teachers continue to build connections with the local iwi, Ngāti Toa, in the Kāhui Ako to guide curriculum developments, including local histories, tikanga and te ao Māori.

Until recently Māori students and other learners were able to study te reo Māori. An active search to employ a te reo Māori teacher continues in 2022 as the school continues to work towards achieving Te Tiriti o Waitangi outcomes articulated in the Education and Training Act 2020. This includes consulting with the school’s Māori community to develop strategic priorities to reflect whānau aspirations and priorities for Māori learners.

Leadership effectiveness, including stewardship

Effective student-focused professional leadership results in significant improvements in learning opportunities for students. Critical reflection, innovation and systematic monitoring of students’ progress are central levers for improved learning outcomes.

Middle leaders are growing their practices and understandings about their roles and responsibilities. New processes for curriculum leaders to report to the board are under development. Including evaluative aspects to identify good practices is part of this work.

Trustees made very good progress working with the LSM to develop suitable school policies and procedure framework to guide school operation. The presiding member continues to provide stewardship leadership and continuity for improvement.

Trustees are well informed about trends and patterns in learners’ progress and achievement, particularly for NCEA and attendance. The board continues to build their scrutiny and use of data to inform targeted resourcing decisions to further improve student outcomes.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

How well placed is the school to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance?

The school is better placed to sustain and continue to improve its performance. The school leadership team are centred on improving equity and excellence in both learning opportunities and valued student outcomes. The school’s strategic plan and priorities are evidence based and supported by effective monitoring for successful implementation.

Most of the key areas identified by ERO in 2018 as requiring attention have been addressed with a smaller number of ongoing key areas for further development. More is known about all student outcomes. Good progress in students’ achievement from Years 7 to 13 is evident.

The school is beginning to formalise a schoolwide approach for the use of data, inquiry and evaluation. The creation of a new school evaluation leadership position should help leaders and teachers to identify what is working well for students and what else needs to improve. Including processes to respond to the views of students, staff, trustees and families will be a key area.

Key next steps

ERO in conjunction with school leaders and trustees, agree on the following three areas for continued improvement:

  • increasing learner outcomes through more effective teaching and learning and a responsive school curriculum, including specific provisions for Māori learners from community consultation
  • building collective stewardship capacity to sustain current school improvements that are making a difference to learner outcomes
  • growing schoolwide leadership and evaluation capacity to guide school improvements, including responding to the views of students, staff, leaders, trustees, whānau and the wider community.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board of trustees and principal of the school completed the ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to:

  • board administration
  • curriculum
  • management of health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial management
  • asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
  • physical safety of students
  • teacher registration
  • processes for appointing staff
  • stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
  • attendance
  • school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.

The board and school leaders have identified through self-review that they need to:

  • ensure that trustees consult with the school’s Māori community and share Māori student achievement information in order to inform the school’s strategic plan and actions
  • ensure staff participate in restraint training to respond to new restraint guidelines
  • manage the college’s preparedness for post disaster and relief
  • ensure parents and whānau are involved in the school’s health curriculum consultation.

4 Recommendations

Recommendations, including any to other agencies for ongoing or additional support.

ERO recommends that the board continue to work with the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA) to support sustainable stewardship practices through the September 2022 board elections.

Bishop Viard College has made significant improvement in its overall performance since 2019. Leadership has focused on lifting student outcomes through improved teaching practices and curriculum opportunities. This is leading to accelerated progress for more students, particularly in Years 7 and 8 and more students achieving NCEA qualifications with merit and excellence endorsements.

The board receives regular NCEA student achievement information and is better placed to make evidence-informed decisions. Trustees remain committed to sustaining the momentum for school improvement for students, staff, whānau and the wider school community.

Conclusion

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement is that Bishop Viard College has made substantial progress and will transition to ERO’s Te Ara Huarau approach.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini

30 August 2022

About the school

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.